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Objective

The Building Resilience Through Education (BRTE) Consortium brings together partners from academia, the private sector and the NGO sector to find innovative ways to strengthen the resilience of communities affected by recurring disasters. This project has its origins in an ex-post impact evaluation of Concern Worldwide’s twenty-five year engagement in Wolaita, Ethiopia. Conducted by University College Dublin’s Centre for Humanitarian Action in collaboration with Wolaita Sodo University, the evaluation found that, despite significant improvements in communities’ capacities to both absorb the effects of recurring disasters and to adapt their livelihoods based on experience of recent disasters, they remain extremely vulnerable to their natural and environmental context. As a result there is an urgent need for a novel approach that moves beyond supporting the mere absorption of or adaptation to recurring shocks and that transforms the capacity of exposed communities. The BRTE partnership has identified the importance of education in bringing about this transformative change. It aim is to build the capacity of Wolaita’s educational institution in pursuit of the following objectives:• To build the requisite critical infrastructure to enable resilience education and research;• To establish an educational platform that will build human capital and transform livelihoods;• To develop research and innovation capacity that will radically promote social and economic well-being.The BRTE programme will serve as a model of how education can drive transformative resilience in areas subject to recurring and protracted crises.

Deliverables

In line with the recommendations in the European Charter for Researchers, the researchers will be engaged in public engagement and communication activities with a wide range of audiences. In order to capitalise on this potential, BRTE will insist that each researcher is involved with at least two outreach activities per year. All researchers will plan the manner in which they will contribute to BRTE together with their respective host organisations and document same in their knowledge sharing journal. As indicated in the European Charter, direct engagement with the public will help researchers to better understand public interest in priorities for science and technology and also the public’s concerns.

The Project Manager will design and launch the project website. On the website an active blog run by the early stage researchers involved in the programme will be initiated. This will be accompanied by a newsletter e-mailing list and social media pages (Impact – reaching professionals searching for information on the relationship between education, research and resilience and linking to think tanks, governments, NGOs, and private companies with regular updates via email. Social media will also be used to impact on a larger public audience)

UCD CHA’s Humanitarian Innovation Hub will serve as a gateway to the Innovation academy and NovaUCD where new high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies are nurtured and supported to enable them to grow, develop and create jobs. Research that leads to innovative products and services is fostered. Therefore, this task will provide a platform through which WSU will develop appropriate products across a range of sectors including food processing and marketing, engineering, and medical products, thereby supporting new ventures and entrepreneurs. This will enable the introduction of private sector engagement at WSU in line with WSU needs and priorities. The identified private sector companies will help to design, create and make innovative products for various enterprises.

From month 8 through to 48 the Project Manager as well as ERs and ESRs will be encouraged to share knowledge and competences widely. The more obvious global and regional events include the 2018 and 2020 World Humanitarian Studies Conferences. Others include NOHA's fall and srings schools, and the annual intensive programme that are held each September. The BRTE consortium will also host its own events that will be publicised broadly - especially through website